NWN 2: Storm of Zehir - Shipping in NA

November 20th, 2008, 02:02

The announcement finally came through:

NEW YORK, NY  November 18, 2008  Atari and Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), bring new action and adventure into retailers today with the release of Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir. Developed by world-renowned studio Obsidian Entertainment, the second expansion pack for the acclaimed Neverwinter Nights 2 delivers thrilling original D&D® adventures made even more exciting by a host of new gameplay features. Rated T for Teens, Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir is now available for the suggested price of $29.99.

Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir builds on the strong tradition of Dungeons & Dragons computer games by marrying old-school concepts like full party customization and dungeon crawling with new innovations, such as a fully 3D Overland Map feature which allows for free exploration of the non-linear game world. The gripping storyline foreshadows the events that devastate the land of the Forgotten Realms in the Fourth Edition of the Dungeons & Dragons Role-Playing Game released in June 2008.

The Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir Overland Map feature lets players explore the Chultan Peninsula and Sword Coast in a way never before possible in any Neverwinter Nights game. Players will explore well-known locations, like Neverwinter and Crossroad Keep, alongside lesser travelled areas, such as the xenophobic jungle nation of Samarach. Vicious monsters and groups of bandits populate the Overland Map, and the farther from civilization the player roams, the more difficult the encounters become.

The 20 to 30-hour campaign in Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir introduces new classes, including the fearsome Hellfire Warlock and the daring Swashbuckler, as well as brand-new spells, creatures, and playable races. Fans of the compelling multiplayer features of Neverwinter Nights 2 will be able to play through Storm of Zehir's campaign in the online cooperative mode, while modders can use the included editor to create their own campaigns and Overland Maps to share online.

Game Features:
 Travel the Sword Coast and Samarach with the open-ended exploration of the new Overland Map. Use skills like Spot, Survival, and Hide to avoid ambushes and even find hidden locales and lost artifacts.
 Create your own full party of adventurers. Devastate your foes with a squad of fireball-flinging Sorcerers, form a solid wall of steel with a party of Fighters, or strike the perfect balance in your party by spreading out the classes you choose for your characters.
 Improved party gameplay with a sophisticated party conversation system, full party creation, and Teamwork Benefits.

Atari is committed to the continued success of the Neverwinter Nights series. The work that Obsidian has done in creating Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir is a result of listening to the fan community, working to deliver on their requests and constantly improving the experience.

It's a lot of fun so far, definetely an old-school type of D&D experience. Don't go into the game expecting long conversations ala MotB, this is very different.

But yeah, it's fun. Even though SoZ seems pretty big for an expansion, I can't help but wish it would be a full-on game. I've been missing these types of games more than I realized I think. It's just fun.

Might not be all that great a read, because it's more highlighting the new features for people who haven't heard of the game rather than really giving that much of a subjective opinion on them. I love the game so far, but I'm only a few hours in.

Might not be all that great a read, because it's more highlighting the new features for people who haven't heard of the game rather than really giving that much of a subjective opinion on them. I love the game so far, but I'm only a few hours in.

Oh, yay. Thanks! I must say that, going by screenshots, this is the first time I've ever thought NWN2 looks anything close to pretty instead of endlessly drab. Chult does it a world of good, it looks like.

Originally Posted by purpleblob
Wow, the graphics look much more improved! If you guys say story is good I might consider buying it… but camera control is still crap right?

No way - camera control is better than ever. You can set it up exactly how you want, and if that's too hard, the 3 presets now cover all the best options and it's dead easy to switch between them (dedicated buttons on the toolbar now). I use 'exploration mode' most of the time, which is basically identical to NWN. Sometimes I use the middle one who's name I've forgotten, but it's set up to be like baldurs gate or ultima 7 I guess. I don't use the third one, which is more like the witcher.

I've not really got much of a grasp on the story yet. So far the main things that the party have to concern themselves with are quite light, but I've already picked up on some fairly deep stuff in the background (as you'd expect, given the game is actually going to form part of the official lore in the transition in the game world from 3.5ed to 4th ed D&D). It's not dark though so if you like them dark and broody like MotB you might be dissappointed in the story.

Oh and the death system is cool. No 'unconscious and get up after battle'. Characters going down bleed and have to be stablised. Fail to do that in time and dead is dead - meaning it's raise dead time or a trip to the temple..

Oh and the battles can be hard too - perfectly possible to wander into something too hard, or be careless on the overland map and get into a tricky fight.

Originally Posted by kalniel
Characters going down bleed and have to be stablised. Fail to do that in time and dead is dead - meaning it's raise dead time or a trip to the temple..

I think that already was in NWN1, wasn't it ? Or am I wrong ?

—  Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius  and a lot of courage  to move in the opposite direction. (E.F.Schumacher, Economist, Source)

—  Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius  and a lot of courage  to move in the opposite direction. (E.F.Schumacher, Economist, Source)

I had that with the NWN2 original - and I literally did stalk the van: caught him getting a snack at lunchtime after I'd taken some time off at home to try and catch the delivery. Turned around and literally followed him in the car until he got to the vague area I lived, then got out and pounced before he could even give a hint of attempting to fail to deliver.

Dude, you seriously stalked a delivery guy? Man, put yourself in his shoes for a moment. You probably freaked him out big time and to think that either no one home and dogs were his biggest worries, now he has to worry about obsessive RPG fanatics, LMAO.

I've been in your shoes (when I wasn't working) getting excited when I saw that big van outside the house and that big box from outpost.com (before it was bought over by frys) delivering my new product. They only screwed up once and sent me Doom 2 instead of Dune 2, but they were cool about it and I sent it back and a few days later got it. I don't think I stalked the guys though, lol.